Background

As of May 26, 2026, over 1077 cases and 246 deaths from Bundibugyo virus disease have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The Bundibugyo ebolavirus is closely related to the Ebola Zaire strain with an estimated case fatality rate between 30 and 50 percent.

After the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, scientists developed two vaccines against the Zaire strain. Unfortunately, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus other than supportive care.

The current outbreak most likely started after someone had close contact with infected wildlife such as a fruit bat or a non-human primate. It is a zoonotic disease. Congolese authorities alerted WHO on May 5, 2026 of a high-mortality outbreak of unknown cause in the Ituri Province in the northeastern part of the DRC. The province borders Uganda and South Sudan, and the virus has spread to Uganda.

After the initial spillover event, funeral practices helped to propel the disease because family members wash their deceased loved one's body. The virus typically spreads through direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids or through contaminated surfaces. The incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days, but people are generally not infectious until exhibiting signs and symptoms such as hiccups, fatigue, fever, sore throat, and muscle aches. The vagueness of the initial symptoms makes early diagnosis difficult.

The R0 for Ebola ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 which means that one infected person can infect on average approximately 1.5 to 2.5 people. The current outbreak is spreading more rapidly than previous Ebola outbreaks. Diagnostic kits are in short supply, which makes case confirmation, patient isolation, and contact tracing difficult. Healthcare workers have been getting sick from unknown exposures and dying. Armed conflicts have been hindering public health efforts. These factors contribute to the virus spreading out of control.

On May 17, 2026, the WHO Director-General declared the Bundibugyo virus epidemic in the DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern.

Trump Administration Policies

Ignoring public health threats won't make them go away. It will make them worse.

Trump's public health policies will make it harder for the US and other countries to respond to epidemics. When his second term began, instead of working with WHO to improve its capabilities, he terminated all funding and withdrew the US from the organization. The US was the largest contributor, providing 12 to 15 percent of WHO's total funding. This funding cut has been devastating for global disease treatment and prevention programs, particularly in Africa.

The second major hit to public health occurred when Trump dissolved USAID, calling it wasteful spending. USAID provided lifesaving programs to approximately 130 countries. The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced some of the harshest cuts. With the Bundibugyo virus now raging in that country and spreading, the cuts couldn't have come at a worse time.

The Trump administration's public health policy impacts within the US have been disastrous. Medicaid and ACA Marketplace access is being reduced for millions of Americans resulting in worsening health outcomes. Healthcare costs are rising.

The Department of Health and Human Services has experienced major workforce reductions, funding cuts, and vaccination program reductions. Public health took a major hit with the removal of all sitting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and a revision of the ACIP charter with recommendations from vaccine-skeptical liaison organizations. Science is being gutted. Research funding has been cut or frozen. Over 100 scientific advisory panels have been terminated, including the entire National Science Foundation Advisory Board. These effects will have long-lasting deleterious repercussions.

Congress has abrogated its leadership role and responsibility to curtail the dangerous policies and actions of an out-of-control president.

If the Bundibugyo virus reaches the US, Trump's anti-public health, anti-healthcare, anti-science policy decisions could have dire consequences.

Nothing shuts down a society and its economy like a deadly pandemic. If the Bundibugyo virus, with a mortality rate as high as 50 percent and no approved treatment or vaccine, becomes a pandemic, the US would probably fare much worse compared to countries with competent political leaders who care about saving their citizens' lives.

In 2022, thanks to Trump's disastrous leadership, the US had the highest death toll from Covid-19 in the world, and compared to other wealthy nations, it had the highest mortality rate.

It's shocking that Americans reelected such an unqualified and incapable president. His cruel and inhumane policies impact the US and the world. Nobody can say that we didn't see the runaway train heading for the cliffs.